December is here, and it is time to start thinking about defensive cleaning against the flu at the office. Yes! A proactive approach to commercial cleaning, along with your efforts to educate your staff on workplace hygiene, can help reduce the risk of an office wide case of the flu.
Office managers can do their part by taking initiative and reminding staff to take basic precautions before flu season begins.
What Your Office Can Do
- Encourage vaccination
The CDC recommends that businesses encourage employees to get a seasonal flu vaccine. It is the first and most important step in preventing the flu.
- Educate staff about flu
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and sometimes lungs. Symptoms can include but are not limited to: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
- Post hand-washing reminders or review hand-washing tips
Regular hand-washing is one of the best ways to remove germs. The CDC recommends five effective steps: wet, lather, scrub, rinse and dry. This preventive measure is quick and simple. At your next staff meeting, you can show the CDC video: Fight Germs. Wash Your Hands.
- Provide sanitizers and disinfectant wipes
Strategically place sanitizers and wipes around the office near high-touch areas like the copy machine, the coffeepot, the conference room phone, etc. They not only serve as a visual reminder, but they work.
- Encourage self-care
Employers should re-examine why employees feel the urge to show up to work with a contagious illness. While it is not always easy to know whether someone is “sick enough” to stay home, best practices would be to err on the side of safety. A fever is a clear sign of an infection and contagion. If employees come to work sick, send them home.
What Commercial Cleaners Can Do
- Clean and disinfect regularly
Daily cleaning is the best way to reduce the risk of spreading germs. Flu viruses can live between two and eight hours after landing on a surface. A professional cleaning service will clean each evening and disinfect the office.
- Target high-touch areas
Cleaners will wipe down door handles, faucets, coffeepot handles, keyboards, phones, desk and countertops once daily with EPA-registered disinfectant. Germ-prone areas like the bathroom and kitchen need thorough attention.
- Use the right products
Leave the handling of cleaning products to professionals. You won’t have to worry about employees touching chemicals that could be hazardous, especially if cleaners or disinfectants are dangerously combined.
Office Pride can help protect your employees by properly disinfecting your office. We use a color-coded system to eliminate cross-contamination, and we use Green SealTM-certified commercial cleaning products, which are far more effective than retail cleaning products.
Now is the time for proactive cleaning. Defend your office and reduce the risk of flu. Contact us today to learn more about how our services can help keep your office healthy and to receive a free quote.
